


The Little Moments

by Chenology345



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst, Depression, F/M, Finding Meaning, Friendship, Funny, Guilt, Hope, Interspecies Relationships, Love, Pursuit of Happiness, Romance, Sad, punny, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-07 21:29:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7730386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chenology345/pseuds/Chenology345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick's transfer to another precinct separates Judy and him for two years until he invites her to a weekend beach trip. Unfortunately, during those two years, Judy has lost the joy she once had due to the harsh realities of her job. With her memories of Nick being the only reliable coping method, she hopes by seeing him again, she will be able to learn how to be happy again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Judy sat in the taxi, staring blankly at the backside of the driver's seat while hugging her duffel bag tightly. The taxi had just picked her up from the train station and was now taking her to the beach house in Seal Beach. It was going to be a weekend beach trip with Nick.

Once the taxi made a right on Ocean Drive, she dropped her bag next to her and peered out the window. She could see the palm trees dancing lightly from the gentle breeze. Behind the trees was the big, blue ocean, shining and shimmering from the sun. It was better than how she had ever imagined it.

"Wow…it's…it's beautiful," she whispered.

"This your first time seeing the ocean?" the warthog taxi driver snorted from the front.

Judy quickly sat back down, blushing slightly.

"Yeah…" she admitted sheepishly.

"She sure is a beauty ain't she? Could never get tired of her no matter how many times I drive down here."

"I can see why," Judy said quietly as she gazed out the window.

The conversation ended afterwards. The driver might've asked her a follow up question but she didn't pay much attention. She was too enthralled by the ocean and wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a while.

She had changed a lot since she first joined the ZPD. For one thing, she used to have no qualms chatting away with strangers, often much to their dismay. However, due to recent events, she has become more introspective, often preferring to be alone over being around mammals.

Her heart pounded quicker and quicker as they neared the beach house. She was nervous; this will be her first time seeing Nick after two years.

**FLASHBACK**

They had been partners for two years, and together they managed to crack the coldest of cases and catch the most slippery of mammals. The whole ZPD knew of them, and they regularly earned well-deserved praise. Judy had a great life and she was proud of her accomplishments in the ZPD, but that was all snatched away one day. It began with a fateful conversation between Nick and Chief Bogo.

Judy was sitting in the office that she shared with Nick. It was considered a small office by the ZPD, assuming it would belong to a large animal like a hippo or an elephant. For Nick and Judy however, it was more than enough room. It had a simple layout, only being comprised of two desks that sat on opposite sides of the room. Judy's desk could best be described as tidy and intimate. She had several pictures of her family that stood by her computer, and all of her paperwork were organized into various shelves and baskets. On the other hand, Nick's desk was best described as pure chaos. He had loads of paperwork that covered the entire surface of the desk. Judy often wondered how he managed to get any work done.

Judy sipped on her third coffee that day as she typed up her police reports.

"Hm, needs more sugar," she thought. She shrugged and continued. She felt behind, despite actually being a week early with all her work. She just couldn't bear the thought of getting them all done the last minute, like Nick normally does. Perhaps it was a little OCD, as Nick often teased her about, but she preferred to think of it as being prompt and proactive.

Nick entered their office, seeming bewildered and unsure.

Hearing his footsteps, Judy asked without looking away from her computer screen, "Hey Nick, how did the meeting go?"

He quickly put on a smirk, "It went fine, actually it was great. I've been promoted to detective!"

She immediately turned towards him, her eyes wide open, "What!? But I've been working here 9 months longer than you have! How did you get it before me!?"

Nick shook his head, snickering, "Oh man, classic Carrots. You should've seen the look on your face. I knew I would get that reaction from you!"

Judy made a pouty face before she turned back to the computer, "Ugh whatever, what was the meeting about then?"

"Well...I am getting a different position."

She turned around and said, "Oh wow, that's cool. Congratulations!"

"So...wait, I'm allowed to have any position except detective only because it's the job that you've dreamed about since forever?" Nick joked.

She shrugged, "Well of course, can't have a wily fox like you becoming detective before me. That would go against the rules of the universe, and nobody wants that."

"You don't think there's a chance that I could ever be more worthy of detective than you?"

She hopped off the chair for dramatic effect and said, "Not a chance!"

They both laughed until Judy said, "So what will you be doing?"

Nick cleared his throat, "Well, you know about the whole tension between the police officers and fox community at Happytown due to the police shootings?"

"Yeah…"

"Well given that I was born and raised there and I'm the first fox police officer, they want me to be a police officer slash consultant for them."

"Oh! Wow, that's really gr-"

"Which would require me to transfer and move to Happytown."

Her ears drooped, "Oh…that's far...almost a day's worth trip away."

"Yup," Nick said stoically.

They stayed silent for a few seconds before Judy continued, "And it also means we wouldn't be partners anymore."

"Yup."

"So we will barely get to see each other…"

He nodded solemnly, "Yup…"

"Did you accept it?"

"Not yet... I have until tomorrow."

"Are you going to?"

"Well...I don't know. Do you think I should?"

Judy felt a heaviness in her chest, but she tried her best to ignore it.

She let out a chuckle, "Heh you're going to ask a dumb bunny for advice?"

He smiled warmly, "Well, what else would I do? I'm a dumb fox."

She giggled, but that didn't make the heaviness in her chest go away. In fact, she felt it even more. His joke reminded her of all the good times they had together. The banter, the impromptu movie nights, and the bar hopping nights followed by the hangovers they would have together. Her trip down memory lane caused tears to stain the fur around her eyes. Embarrassed, she turned around quickly, hoping Nick didn't notice.

Judy rubbed her eye and said bashfully, "Sorry there's something in my-"

She felt her body being picked up and pressed against Nick's. His arms and tail wrapped around her, in an attempt to assure her that everything will be okay. His head rested against hers, whispering apologies to her ears.

Her grief melted away with pure happiness taking its place. It was heartwarming that not only did he turn to her advice for a decision that can change his life, but he also rushed to comfort her. He made her feel like she mattered, and it was the most wonderful feeling. It was what Judy liked to call a little moment.

They were these moments in time that showed that perhaps there was something more between them than just friendship. It's like the moment where they shared a deep hug while hiding from the rain under a small tarp. Or the moment where they fell down to the ground together after she hopped onto his stomach, and they couldn't stop laughing. Or even that moment when their eyes would meet and linger just for a second too long. These little moments would confuse her. Nick was obviously just a friend, but for some reason he's the only mammal that could make her heart feel...happy. Happier than it's ever been. What did it mean? Love? Nahhhh it couldn't be. Could it? These were some of the thoughts that would ravage her mind as she reminisced these little moments.

However, no matter how much she enjoyed this moment or how much she would miss Nick, she couldn't get in the way of what could be a great opportunity for him.

Judy whispered, "You have to take it Nick."

An ear sprung up from Nick's head, alert to her voice.

A little surprised by her answer, he said, "You really think so?"

"Yeah, this job was made for you. There's no other police officer in the ZPD that cares as much as you."

Many police officers would agree with her. It was undoubtedly true. Ever since Nick joined the ZPD, he had made it his mission to help the fox community any way he could. He regularly volunteered at the community center where he taught music to troubled teenage foxes. He helped arrested foxes contact reputable lawyers to give them a fair chance in court. He also attended the funerals of unarmed foxes who were shot by police officers, something he had to do way too often.

Whenever a fellow police officer asked or accused him of his seemingly preferential treatment towards foxes, he would simply respond, "If you lived through a day as a fox, you would do the same."

His charity and dedication to the fox community didn't go unnoticed by Chief Bogo, which was why he offered him the position. Judy knew that this was his passion, and he would feel much more fulfilled doing this rather than parking or traffic duty.

"But, that would mean Carrots won't get to see his favorite fox," Nick said teasingly.

She responded playfully, "Well this Carrots wants to see her favorite fox happy and her favorite fox make the world a better place."

He let go of her and kneeled down, studying her as if he was trying to detect any signs of doubt on her. Finally, he closed his eyes and smiled while nodding slowly.

"Fine, I'll take the position."

The next day, he went to Chief Bogo's office to accept the offer. He had one month to leave.

* * *

It was late in the evening, Nick and Judy stood outside the precinct with Nick holding a box of his stuff. They had just finished cleaning out his desk, a daunting and arduous task. Though in good spirits, an air of anguish hung around them. After today, they wouldn't be partners anymore.

"I can't believe it's my last day here Carrots. I won't be seeing your cute face every day!"

"Don't call me cute!" She sighed, "But yeah…can't believe this day has come….It came way too quickly!"

"Awww, is Carrots gonna miss a little ol fox like me?"

"Don't be like that Nick! You know you're gonna miss us too!

"Maybe a little…."

She nudged him.

"Okay! I'm going to miss you all a lot," He paused for a second. His face softened as he looked down to the ground. "You guys were like a pack to me, another family.

"You'll always be a part of our pack Nick." She places her paw on his arm. "And now you get to join a new pack, and make the world a better place somewhere else."

He faced her and smiled, "Yeah… I guess you're right."

There was a pause before he said.

"You know I'm going to miss you the most Carrots."

She blushed a little. She was a little taken back by his admission. It was rare to see this side of Nick. One so genuine, honest, and heartfelt.

He continued, "You did so much for me. You…changed my life...You made me into a better mammal...You...you gave me hope for a better tomorrow."

She blushed some more, "Oh Nick, you dumb fox, I can't take all the credit, you did most of the work."

"But you were the spark that started it all."

Before she could respond, he walked over to her and gave her a hug. He gently kissed her on the space between her ears before resting his head against hers. She wrapped her arms around his back, as she buried her head into his chest. It would be their last little moment together in two years.

"I'm really going to miss you Judy."

"I'm really going to miss you too Nick."

* * *

The first week he was gone, they texted each other like there was no tomorrow. Every few minutes, her phone would be buzzing from Nick's texts, to which she would reply right away. They made all these grandiose plans to hang out every weekend. However, life had the tendency to get in the way. Their work schedules never seemed to be compatible, and both Nick and Judy didn't want to use their holiday hours. Nick because he just started and Judy because she was Judy. The prospects of hanging out every weekend turned to every other weekend, to every month, and eventually to never. They settled for texts, calls, and Muzzletime, but even that started to occur less and less as time passed by.

The last text Judy sent to Nick for a long time was just a simple question.

_How's your day going?_

It was an easy enough question that any mammal could answer. A day passed, there was no response. Yet, she held onto the hope that Nick was perhaps just too busy with work to text back. She didn't want to give up on their friendship, it was too important to her. However, one day became a week without a response, leading Judy to accept that their friendship was dead.

Judy spent the weekend afterwards moping with her new best friends, Nutflix and wine. She laid on her bed with her laptop in front of her playing It's Always Sunny in Pandadelphia, occasionally taking a swig of the cheap bottle of wine from Trader Doe's. She didn't understand how their friendship fell apart like that. They were best friends, but now they were nothing, and her life seemed much emptier as a result. She had a lot more free time than she knew what to do with and when going through the photos on her phone, she noticed at least 95% of them had Nick and her. Also, she just couldn't stop thinking about him, especially the little moments. Nevertheless, by the end of the weekend, Nutflix and wine had healed her enough for Judy to decide it was time to move on. She started going to the bar with Darryl Wolford and Marissa Fangmeyer or grabbing lunch with Francine Trunkaby. And of course, on Friday nights, it was time to hit the clubs with Ben Clawhauser.

Things got even better when she was assigned to her new partner, Jack Savage. Jack Savage was one of the finest cops to have come through the precinct. Like Judy, he stood tall for a bunny and had a commanding presence. He was confident, but was by no means arrogant. He was humble as one could be, always sharing credit for his accomplishments with Judy. He was also funny and sweet, able to make the precinct laugh and brought little gifts for them from time to time. Judy and Jack became fast friends and enjoyed each other's company.

There were still times when she missed Nick and she would think about the little moments, but with her friends, life was good for Judy. Not great but good, and that was enough for her. However, things went from good to bad after that fateful case.

* * *

"It's not your fault," Jack gently said.

Judy and Jack were sitting across from each other in the break room. Jack took a sip of his coffee while Judy stared at her paws. Her coffee remained untouched.

"There's nothing more you could've done," he continued.

"I could've been faster. I could've been more careful," she whispered while still staring at her paws.

"You can't do that to yourself, you're just hurting-"

She slammed her firsts onto the table.

She looked up at him sharply, raising her voice, "Why not? I mean, it's true right? If I had caught that weasel, then he wouldn't have gone to rob that family of four, and those lemurs would still be alive today."

His tone still gentle, he replied, "You can't blame yourself for that, you're not the one who pulled the trigger."

She shook her head, "No, no I wasn't. But I'm the one who allowed him to pull the trigger."

Jack reached across the table, "Judy…"

She backed her chair out and stood straight up, "No, stop, I'm sorry, I just…I just need some time to think."

She headed out the break room, leaving behind her coffee and a worried rabbit. As she walked across the precinct, unsure where to head to, flashbacks of her day started to haunt her.

The car chase on the highway. The weasel escaping on foot with Judy following close behind. Judy chasing him into the alleyway. Judy thinking she had him cornered. The weasel grabbing a garbage can lid and swinging it at her, knocking her out for a second. Judy coming to and seeing the weasel climb over the fence. Judy hopping over the fence, with the weasel nowhere to be seen.

Feeling a heaviness in her chest, she rushed to the bathroom and locked herself in the stall. Tears started forming in her eyes. She knew what was coming next.

Judy and Jack parking at the murder scene, full of ambulances and police cars. Four gurneys laid on the ground, two of them child-sized. The weasel handcuffed at the back of a police car, his head down.

She looked at her paws and saw it stained with blood. The family's blood. She buried her head into her paws, hoping that her tears would wash away her sins. It was her fault.

* * *

Things went from bad to worse as the days went on. The nightmares. The triggers. The guilt. That case beat her down and managed to sap out the joy that she got from the job. Each day seemed longer than the previous one, chasing after criminals started to get old, and waking up got harder and harder. She tried everything to recover. Yoga, healthy eating, alcohol, comedies, exercise, everything. Nothing seemed to work. She soon stopped listening to Gazelle.

She tried to use her acting chops to maintain the façade of her usual happiness at work, but she's no Nick. It turned out her acting skills only comprised of dramatically dying. Her friends quickly noticed the change in her mood and grew concerned for her. They would ask if anything was wrong and she always replied with a "Thanks, I'm fine," and scurried off. Jack was a little more determined to help her feel better. He would get her coffee every day and invited her to potlucks or bar nights with the other police officers. She appreciated their efforts, but she felt there was no point helping a lost cause. One by one, her friendships started to fall apart as she continued to decline any offer for help or hangouts. By the end of the year, her relationships were reduced to exchanging pleasantries and nothing more.

There were two things that kept her going. The first thing was her ambition. She never stopped wanting to become a detective and continued to work hard. Granted, she had become more complacent with her job, only giving out a maximum of 100 tickets per day or finishing her police reports 2 days early. Regardless, she was still seen as one of the most hard-working of the police officers. The second thing were the little moments. When life just seemed too hard, her mind would wander back to the little moments she had with Nick. They reminded her of the joy she used to have when Nick was still around. It gave her a little inkling of hope. Perhaps, she could find her joy again when she reaches her goal of becoming a detective.

Just a few days before the beach trip, she was called into Chief Bogo's office.

"Sir?" she said as she slowly opened the door.

"Sit down Hopps," Bogo gently said.

She walked down the room and hopped onto her chair. Despite her five years of service and the increase in number of small mammals in the ZPD, Chief Bogo had never bothered to get chairs more suited to animals her size.

She studied the chief carefully, hoping to get a hint of the reason for this meeting. She saw a face hard as stone with an intensity to him that struck fear even into the bravest of lions. However, his expression softened as he spoke.

"I'll cut to the chase Hopps, because of your exemplary performance and your extraordinary talents, I believe your service would be better suited as a detective.

A gasp escaped her throat. A detective. A role that she's longed for years and years. All the training and studying, it had all led up to this moment. She should've felt pure ecstasy for this moment. Yet, she felt none of that.

"I feel the same," she whispered.

"Hopps?"

"Oh!" Judy said. "I mean, thank you! This is quite an honor sir. I was just in total shock, that's all."

Chief Bogo raised an eyebrow, surprised by her subdued reaction to the good news.

He shrugged it off and said, "Orientation and training will start in three weeks. We expect great things from you." He let out a slight grin.

"Thank you sir, I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't. You may be dismissed."

* * *

She laid on her bed, facedown into her pillow.

"What the fuck is wrong with me…" she shakily whispered to herself.

She finally got the job she dreamed of all her life yet she felt nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all. She wondered what was wrong with her. Was this all because of that case? Is this the guilt causing all of this? Did she think she didn't deserve it at the time?

No, that wasn't it. She knew what guilt felt like, and what she felt at Bogo's office wasn't guilt. It was something much worse, and much more insidious. It was numbness.

Everything from the nightmares, the triggers, to the guilt. She let it worn her down and exhaust almost every part of her mind and body. Now she was an empty shell.

She heard her phone buzzing on her beside dresser. She rolled her eyes.

"Goddammit, is it Jack trying to invite me to another hangout? I thought he stopped with that shit a long time ago." Judy thought.

She grabbed her phone, it was Nick. A smile escaped her. She quickly opened her phone and read his text.

" _Carrots! Long time no talk! Or text. Whatever. Anyways, I finally to get a few days off and I haven't been to the beach for a while. I know this is kinda random, but wanna go on a beach trip with your favorite fox? You know you want to!"_

Spending a few days at the beach with Nick Wilde. The fox she hasn't seen for two years, and hasn't talked to for months. Now he suddenly wants to hang out. She thought this was crazy. What if Nick changed? What if they don't get along anymore? Yet, this was the happiest that she's felt in a long time. She could even hear her heart jumping for joy, all for just a text from Nick. Thinking about the little moments, she realized that perhaps he was the key to her happiness.

"You know what," she told herself. "Fuck it, I'm doing it."

" _Nick, do I want to join you in this beach trip? Yes, yes I do."_

**PRESENT**

"We're here," the taxi driver said.

"Huh?" she muttered.

She looked out the window and she saw a beach house with a red fox, resting on the bench at its porch. It was a quaint, little beach house, with a countryside feel to it. She wondered how Nick managed to find such a cozy beach house so cheap on Harebnb.

The taxi driver said, "You're a quiet one aren't ya? You didn't say a word for the whole trip after seeing the ocean."

"Oh…haha sorry, I was just thinking..."

"Well don't matter." He points at the fare meter, "That'll be $40.25."

She handed him the cash and stepped out the taxi with her bag. She saw Nick Wilde sit up from the bench. He had the biggest smile on his muzzle. She couldn't help but respond with a smile of her own.

"I'm happy," she rejoiced in her head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you KohGeek and GetTheeToADictionary for beta reading! You guys really help turn a steaming pile of shit into something readable!
> 
> Also some quick notes, italics basically means Judy is saying something in her head. Also, there are some Tangled spoilers in the chapter.
> 
> And sorry this took so long to get out! I had a bad case of writer's block and class started too. Ugh, the struggles.

 

She couldn't believe it, just like that, in an instant, she's happy. The doubts, the apprehension, and the frustration she had for him were gone. Even the fact that he was the one who stopped texting her was far from her mind.

"Nick! Nick! Nick! Nick!" the gray bunny exclaimed as she hopped towards her favorite red fox, swinging her bag with her right arm. Nick smiled widely, amused by her antics. Once she was inches away from Nick, she dropped her bag, and used all her might for her final hop towards Nick. She gave him the biggest hug she could and the impact caused them to both fall onto the bench he was sitting on. He responded by squeezing Judy tightly in his arms.

"Just like old times huh Carrots?" Nick said.

"Just like old times my dear ol friend." as she smooshed her cheeks into his chest.

It felt nice to be in his arms again, she forgot how warm and comforting they could be. She relished his presence and remained glued to his chest, and so did he. It was a little moment between them.

Fifteen seconds had passed before Judy realized that they've been hugging for a few seconds too long than a pair of friends normally would.

"I should probably get off you huh."

He teased, "No worries, I figured this was just how bunnies say long time no see."

She punched his arm in response.

"Ow!" He cried.

"Still hanging on to those bunny stereotypes huh?"

He rubbed the area where she punched him, "What can I say? I know you like it when I do."

She rolled her eyes in response, but not without a quick smile. She then got off him and grabbed her bag.

"Well, I'm sure you already did some exploring around our Harebnb. Aren't you going to show me around the place?"

He walked to the front door and opened it for her, "Right this way princess."

She stuck out her tongue and walked through the door into the living room. Her jaw dropped immediately.

There were beige couches adorned with nicely arranged solid blue, white, and tan pillows. At the center of the space bordered by the couches was a glossy coffee table with a vase of tulips and several magazines featuring various celebrities on top. Underneath the couches and coffee table was a sprawling carpet patterned with teal, green, and white stripes. Opposite from the largest couch was a 65" flat screen TV that hung on the wall, inviting its guests to binge watch their favorite TV shows. And lastly, but most exciting to Judy, on the other side of the living room was a door that led out to the balcony, where guests could take in a gorgeous view of the beach. The natural light coming from the balcony and the large windows beside it gave the room the radiant glow that brightened up the whole place. This was the kind of living room she would see when binge watching Burrow Hunters during her many ice cream and Nutflix therapy days.

"Holy crap, this is our living room?" Judy exclaimed.

"That's what it seems like."

"How did you get this Harebnb for only $50 a night?" Judy said in shock.

He wagged his finger at Judy, "A fox never reveals his secrets."

She rolled her eyes. That fox was full of secrets.

He pointed his arm down the hallway.

"Come on, let me show you your room Carrots."

A rush of excitement filled her. If the living room was this good, she could only imagine how good her bedroom would be.

As they went down the hallway, she had a quick thought about how weird it was that the wonderful news of becoming a detective didn't make her happy, but just seeing Nick did. She shook the thought out her head soon though. She was on vacation; she should do her best not to stress herself out.

They reached the door to her bedroom.

He bowed his head slightly, swinging his arms towards the door, "Bunnies first."

"What a gentleman," she teased as she opened the door.

"Wow," she uttered.

It was a simple, but cozy layout. Against one of the walls at the center was a queen-sized bed with pure white covers and purrfectly fluffed pillows (so perfectly fluffed?) practically begging for someone to sleep on it. The room was fully decorated with photographs of sunrises, oceans, and beaches and various knickknacks. Beside the bed was a teal upholstered armchair that was positioned just right to face the sea. It was a great place for some reading, and she could only imagine the sight when the sun sets. She could stay in this room for the entire trip and it would still be a great vacation.

"Since I know you had a long trip, and you bunnies need your precious beauty rest, I'll leave you alone for a bit."

He closed the door before Judy could turn around to make a face at him. She scanned around the room, wondering what to do next. She considered unpacking, but the pillows on the bed seemed so fluffy and comfy. She had to at least lie down on it before she unpacked.

She hopped onto her bed, landing perfectly just in front of the pillows.

"Oh god, this is so comfortable," Judy said.

She found herself sinking into the comfort of her bed and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 She sat straight up at her bed. Her room was pitch-dark, impossible to see anything.

_Huh? Is it really night time? Did I really sleep that long?_

The door opened, and four shadowy figures entered the room. Two adults, two children. She knew who they were. They were the murdered family.

"Oh god, please, not now, please not now," she whimpered.

The shadowy figures did not heed her pleas and slowly crept towards her.

Judy remained frozen on top of her bed, unable to muster the willpower to move. Her heart thumped louder and louder as the smell of blood got stronger and stronger as they neared her.

She put her head down, tears forming in her eyes as she accepted her fate. The four shadowy figures grabbed her, and pinned her down to the ground.

Finally one of them said in a ghostly, but commanding voice, "Your turn."

She then felt the bullets entering her head, one by one. It didn't kill her, but she could feel the impact and pain of each one. She didn't scream as each bullet entered her skull. She simply closed her eyes and told herself that she deserved all the pain they wrecked upon her.

"Carrots!" Someone said with a bellowing voice. A couple of raps on the door followed.

" _Huh? Where did that come from?"_

"Carrots! Carrots!" the voice continued.

"Nick?" she cried out.

Right when she screamed out his name, a bright light from the door shined on the entire room, blinding Judy as she felt herself being consumed by the light.

* * *

 She sat straight up, breathing rapidly and sweating heavily.

"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, "Nothing more. Just a dream."

She clenched her shaking paws into fists as she uttered several curses. It was frustrating that even on vacation when she's supposed to relax, she couldn't control all these horrible things her mind did to her. She wished she was stronger.

Her ears shot straight up as she heard another round of incessant knocking followed by Nick yelling, "Carrots!"

She couldn't let Nick know about this. She was sure that Nick would think she's crazy, like how all the officers at her precinct probably do. Judy wiped away the sweat as she yelled, "Come in!"

Nick opened the door, and Judy saw how his sly grin disappeared into a concerned look when he saw Judy.

"Carrots, you okay?"

"Yeah, of course, what do you mean?"

"You're shaking." He sat down on her bed and squeezed her paws gently.

"What happened?"

She yanked her paws out of his and looked at her paws, they were still shaking, though not as much.

She quickly retracted her paw and twirled one of her ears nervously, "Yeah, I'm fine, just a nightmare, no big deal. I guess I had a bad carrot and bean burrito at the train station, heh."

She faced Nick, smiling, hoping to reassure him. He studied her closely, seeming unconvinced. After a few seconds, he shrugged and smiled back, but still with a tinge of concern in his eyes.

"Okay then, speaking of burritos, I'm hungry Carrots! I was thinking we could hit the town, grab dinner, and explore a bit."

She felt exhausted just thinking about the prospect of going outside. After a long train and taxi ride to this house and that horrible nightmare, she just wanted to stay indoors.

"I think I'm good...I had a long day today, I don't know if I can handle going out to town tonight."

She saw Nick tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Judy looked back at Nick with even more confusion on her face. _Why was he confused?_

Then she realized, _"Oh right, the Judy he knew would beg him to go dancing or train for a 10k after a long day of work."_

The Judy two years ago would always be bursting with energy and down to do anything that seemed fun or adventurous. That Judy would've given an excited yes and be racing out the door, making Nick have to run to catch up. Instead, here she was, just sitting on her bed, her eyes probably devoid of any excitement, and rejecting that fun offer.

A crooked grin formed on Nick's muzzle and he teased, "I guess you must be tired from running away from all the scary monsters in your dream."

She quipped, "Nothing scarier than your face."

"Oooh burn! And you say bunnies can't be savage."

A sly smile formed on her muzzle. The trepidation she had from her nightmare vanished, all thanks to Nick. It shocked her how easily Nick could make her feel better from a nightmare like that.

"Anyways," he said as he got off the bed and started heading towards the door, "How about we just order takeout and watch a movie," he turned back to her, "Does that sound good?"

He even knew how to think of the perfect night for her, what a sweet fox.

She smile appreciatively, "Sounds wonderful."

* * *

 They settled down at the large couch that sat across from the television. Nick got out his phone and started ordering food from Pestmates.

"What do you want Carrots?" Nick asked as he scanned through his options.

"Get me a carrot and turnip salad please," she replied.

He grinned, "Huh, little Carrots wants…carrots. Have you ever thought about exploring other kinds of foods?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled back, "I guess I could once you start exploring acceptable fashion choices."

Nick opened his jaw wide open, pretending to be incredibly insulted, "How dare you! I'll have you know that a vixen just complimented me on my outfit very recently."

"Are you sure she wasn't sarcastic?"

"I'm sure she meant it when she said, 'Nice outfit loser.'"

Judy giggled.

She had been enjoying all the banter between them. Whenever she felt her heart creeping towards darkness throughout their conversations, she knew she could banter with him, and things would be okay again. It was nice. She felt safe with him.

Eventually, Nick settled on a Cheesebugburger for his dinner. While waiting for their food, they just chatted, bringing each other up to speed about their lives. They started with her life first. Judy avoided talking about the criminal she failed to stop or the ensuing depression and guilt she felt afterwards, so she spoke in generalities, saying along the lines like it's been the same old thing and nothing has changed. She also realized that she knew nothing about her coworkers' lives when Nick asked about them. She had no idea what was going on with their relationships, any hilarious incidents that had befallen upon them, or even what their favorite drink was. Her self-imposed isolation from her coworkers led her to have many lunches alone in her office, which she now preferred, but it prevented her from ever really engaging with her co-workers anymore. Because of that Judy told Nick that they're fine or that she's not a stalker so she doesn't know what's been happening with them. She noticed Nick had a slight tilt of his ears, indicating his suspicions that perhaps something was wrong. She mentally sighed. She knew why. She used to be such a social butterfly and tried to get to know every one of the officers in the ZPD, sometimes to their annoyance. That wasn't her anymore.

Fortunately, they moved on to Nick's life. However, Judy noticed something a little off. He too would not go too much into detail about his new life in Happytown. She knew he was not the kind of fox who would delve too much into his personal life. Yet, it seemed that he was making even more of an effort to hide things from her. Granted he was certainly much less obvious than her, probably from years of being a con artist. He was able to know almost perfectly how much detail to give and when to digress to related stories, so it would not seem like he was avoiding her questions, but also not really say much at all. It was a little weird to her, but she shrugged it off. Two years have passed, she shouldn't expect him to open up as much.

After 40 long minutes, their food finally arrived. It was now time to choose a movie from Nutflix.

As Nick flipped through their movie selections, he complained, "Ugh my burger is lukewarm."

She boasted, "Well you should've gotten a cold dish like mine! I got this food delivery game down!"

He rolled his eyes, smiling, and he finally stopped at a movie: Wrangled.

"Oh, don't you love this movie Carrots? We could watch this if you want."

She used to, but ever since the murders, she found Cheesney movies to be a little too happy and unrealistic for her.

She threw her fist up and yelled with probably a little too much fake enthusiasm, "Yeah! Let's watch it!"

Determined to show she was enthralled by the movie, she placed her paws on her cheeks and leaned forward far enough to rest her elbows on her lap.

"You…you sure really love this movie, Carrots."

"Shush! She's singing When Will My Life Begin!"

Eventually, towards the middle of the movie, she grew tired of this act and leaned back on the couch lazily, now determined to be as comfortable as possible. Nick must've noticed her growing disinterest in the movie because that's when he would playfully flick her ears or poke her in the cheek. She would swat his paw away and give him an overexaggerated annoyed face, not without a smile of course though.

It wasn't until the lantern scene that she started to feel any real emotion, besides boredom, from the movie. When Judy watched Ramanezul filled with wonder and joy when she achieved her dream of seeing the lights in the sky, she couldn't help but hate herself. It made her feel like she was crazy. Why couldn't she be like normal mammals like Ramanezul when she achieved her own dream of becoming a detective. It didn't feel fair. Ramanezul got to have her joy. She didn't, and she never will. Everything felt hopeless.

Judy started sniffling.

Nick's ears perked up when he heard her sniffles and faced her. His ears then fell flat when he saw the teary fur stains around her eyes.

"Carrots...what's wrong?"

" _Shit! Quick Judy! Think of something!"_

"Oh um...this scene always gets to me. The king crying….the queen comforting him, and all the lanterns just floating out to the sky over the lake, god it's just such a beautiful scene. I can't help but cry."

Nick smiled, "You bunnies are so emotional." He opened his arms for a hug.

"Come here, I know you want it."

She did.

She walked on her knees until she was close enough to him and held him tightly. Once he wrapped his arms around her back, she could feel her own self-hatred and jealousy disappear. Once again, she didn't ever want to let go. Her heart felt warm, she was happy, perhaps as happy as Ramanezul was feeling in the lantern scene. A little moment.

At that little moment, she thought it was probably true, that Nick was the key to her happiness.

A scary thought struck her head at that moment though.

"Does that mean...he is the only way I can be happy?"

That thought stayed with her as she tried to sleep later that night. Her mind strained over the idea that Nick was the only way she could be happy. That was preposterous! How pathetic would she be? That her best friend who lives miles and miles away and who she hadn't seen for years was the only key to her happiness? Impossible. There were other ways obviously. She just...doesn't know any other way right now.

Yet, she had to admit to herself that she hadn't been this happy for a long time, and it felt really great just to be around him. Her fears creeped in though.

_What if it was all a sham? What if Nick was just another band-aid, like everything else I tried?_

Her mind debated over these questions until she was able to finally drift off to sleep.

* * *

 She woke up sweating and breathing heavily, just like she did earlier. She checked her phone for the time, it was 4:02 am.

She sighed and turned on the lights. She had the same dream, but this time there was no Nick to save her. She felt every gunshot that her mind tortured her with, one by one, to the head, until it decided to let her wake up. She let out another sigh, she was frustrated that she was going through another round of nightmares. They would come in swarms, with a short break in between. It was unpredictable when her nightmares would come back, which pretty much ensured Judy almost never had a good night's sleep either due to nightmares or the stress of having a nightmare.

With little desire to go back to sleep, she headed out to the kitchen. She noticed earlier today that the host stocked their refrigerator with carrot juice, so she figured a nice glass of it could help calm the nerves. To her surprise, she saw that the light was on in the living room.

"Did I forget to turn off the lights?" Judy wondered loudly

"Nope, I'm here!" Nick yelled out from the couch.

She hopped backwards a little from shock as Nick's head popped up from behind the couch.

"Nick! Uh…what are you doing up this early? I thought…I thought you like to sleep in."

He shrugged, "My sleep habits changed, besides there's nothing like a mojito at 4 am in the morning."

Nick used to hate having to get up at 5:30 am for work, but here he was enjoying a drink at 4 am? How odd.

She raised an eyebrow, "That's...normal I guess," she said with a tone of slight disapproval.

Nick grinned, "Before you judge me any further why are you up this early?"

She lied, "Oh uh... couldn't sleep from all the excitement about today. Decided to get myself some carrot juice."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow, which made Judy nervous that he could tell she was lying. Whether he did or not, he eventually smiled and offered to make a carrot mojito for her.

"A carrot mojito at 4 am? Who do you think I am?"

"Someone who wants to be my drinking buddy," he said as he raised his glass.

Her heart jumped a bit and she sputtered out a yes.

"Great! I'll go make it right now!" he said excitedly.

" _God how did I let him hustle me that easily?"_

" _Well he is a pretty smooth fox, not bad looking too."_

Judy tried her hardest to ignore that last thought.

Five minutes later, she held a glass of a carrot mojito in her right paw. She took a sip of her carrot mojito as Nick looked impatiently at her, waiting to hear her response.

It was delicious. Absolutely delicious. Somehow Nick managed to meld the carrot juice well with the bitterness of the rum, acidity of the lime, and who knows what else is in the drink.

"Holy shit, this drink is delicious," she marveled. "How did you do it?"

Nick sighed in relief, happy about his accomplishment of somehow making a carrot mojito.

"Not sure, I guess I've just got good mixing drinks from practice."

Judy took another sip, "You must've had a lot of practice. Even I didn't think a carrot mojito was going to work."

He winked at her. Her heart jumped again. She placed her paw over her chest, bewildered why her heart kept doing that.

He sat back down on his couch, "So what do you wanna do this early in the morning?"

"Hm, i don't know, I usually go for a jog if I wake up this early."

"Nope, not doing that. What else can we do?

"We could... watch shitty early morning shows and just talk over them."

"Sure, why not?"

And so they chatted away as the TV played some morning news with two astoundingly chipper beaver and bunny anchors droning about some crime in the background. Nick and Judy talked about anything from politics, TV shows, to celebrities. It was then that she realized how natural it felt to be with Nick, at least when she wasn't lying about her life. Even though she was dead tired, she was laughing hard, chattering away, and just smiling. No other mammal was able to bring that side out of her since the murders. There was this natural pull to him, something about him that just made her want to lay her head against his shoulder, and just be close to him. So she did. When there was a moment of silence between them, she scooted up next to him and did it. She had come up with an excuse to use his shoulder his pillow just in case he protested. He didn't. Instead he just wrapped his arm around her side and held it tightly. There was no more talking afterwards. Just the two of them. Together. A little moment.

* * *

 Judy laid on her blanket, sunglasses over her eyes, basking under the sun, and reading her favorite book. She was enjoying fresh, salty air, the sound of the waves, and the warm sunlight at the beach.

She looked to her left and saw Nick lying face up with his aviator sunglasses on and his paws behind his head. He was wearing a blue unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt and tiki swim shorts.

She found herself blushing as her eyes scanned his exposed body. She had to admit, he was indeed a cute red fox.

Not wanting to stare at him any longer, she looked at the flask by his side that he poured whiskey into right before they left. Seeing that flask made her think about their conversation right before they left the house.

"You're going to drink more at the beach?" Judy asked.

He put his flask in his drawstring bag, "Nothing like a spiced whiskey to help spice up beach day!"

She patted his belly, "Could this be the reason you're showing?"

He quipped back, "My belly is big, bold, and beautiful and there's nothing you can say that'll change that."

She smiled widely, "Glad to know your narcissism is still intact as ever."

She wondered if she should be concerned about how much Nick was drinking; he never used to drink this much when they were partners. However, she figured she shouldn't be judgmental and let him drink however much he wants during a vacation.

She sat straight up to see if she could see the water from here. Her view was blocked by an otter family of four. The two parents relaxed on their beach chairs as they watched their son and daughter make sandcastles together.

Two adults. Two children. She felt her stomach tighten and a heaviness in her chest. An air of despair and hopelessness hovered over her. She has lost control of her body and mind. She was going through one of these spells. She now just had to ride it through.

The beach did not seem like the place to do so however. She now found the sun too hot, the breeze too cold, and the chatter in the beach too loud. She just wanted to be back in her room where she could deal with this alone.

She tried to think of an excuse to head back to the house, but then she felt herself being scooped up.

"What, what the? Nick!?" she yelled.

"It's time to get into the water Carrots!"

"Put me down Nick! I still have my book with me!"

Nick grabbed the book and threw it backwards, where it perfectly landed into her bag.

She had a brief moment of being impressed by his aim, and then continued her yelling and started punching and kicking him, trying to escape from her captivity. It was futile though, as Nick continued towards the ocean, as if it was a mission that he could not fail. All it served to do was to gain some beach onlookers, who were both amused and wondering about their relationship status.

Once Nick reached the water, he dropped Judy in the water.

"Hopefully the water will cool off that hot-headedness of yours Carrots."

After sputtering out the water that got in her mouth, she stood up, staring down Nick with the most fiery eyes she could muster.

His ears flat, Nick gulped, "Carrots? It was a joke, you're not mad at me right?"

Her frown contorted into the most evil and conniving smile Nick has ever seen on Judy. Before he knew it, Judy tackled him, and they fell into the water together.

Even though she thought it was a total dick move, she felt much better. The despair, the hopelessness, the heaviness in her chest, and the stomach tightening. All gone.

But of course she still had to get her revenge.

They splashed each other while laughing, swam together, and let themselves be pushed around by the waves. Judy hadn't had this much fun and felt so carefree for the longest time. The past years had been occupied with feeling shitty about herself and work. It was a relief to forget all of that and just...play. It seemed Nick always knew how to lead her to happiness.

* * *

 Once their stomachs started grumbling for food, Judy and Nick decided to stop by a beachside shack to grab some lunch. It wasn't too busy, about half of the tables were filled. It had a very chill ambience and the waiters seemed to all talk like surfers. Nick ordered some fish tacos and a beer while Judy ordered some fried eggplant and carrot tacos.

"You sure this place is good Nick?"

"Dont cha worry about it Carrots. Yip gave it 3.5 stars."

"That's barely passable Nick."

"Last time I checked, passable means it's okay!"

"Well, I'm starving, I'll eat anything at this point."

A lion waiter brought them their food, "One totally tubular carrots taco and a rad fish taco and a righteous beer!"

He placed down their food and walked away.

Nick said, "Wow they're really playing up the surfer vibe here."

Judy said, "Tell me about it."

Her stomach crying out for food, Judy grabbed her taco without much of a glance and took a bite of it.

"Huh, this is weird. This doesn't taste like eggplants or carrots," she said.

She looked inside the fried, panko-crusted patty and saw white fish.

"Oh dear god," she said.

"Yup it looks like they switched our plates Carrots," Nick said. "I got your disgusting tacos. He held up a taco with a similar-looking panko-crusted patty, except there were bits of orange and gray inside.

Nick said, "Well let's just switch our pla-"

Judy interrupted, "No...no I don't want to."

"What? But I thought-"

"I thought so too. I thought fish and bugs would be disgusting. But fish is delicious. It's so damn good. God I can't believe I've been missing out on meat all this time!

She started munching on Nick's fish tacos.

Nick said as his ears folded back, "But…but… they're mine..."

It fell onto deaf bunny ears, Judy was too engrossed by the delicious fish tacos. All Nick could do was pinch his muzzle and stomach down the vegetarian tacos.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of exploring the boardwalk, some beach volleyball, and more playing in the water. It was fun, really fun. Judy hadn't smiled and laughed this much since what seemed like a long time. She started having this feeling in her heart, and it felt so foreign to her. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was good. Great actually. What was it? Joy? Perhaps. It reminded her of how she always felt in the past. The readiness to take on life with determination and a smile. That was her in the past, and it's her now. Well...almost.

She was not completely back to her old self. She was really exhausted. Along with the lack of sleep, she was not used to spending the whole day out with mammals. This made it much more difficult for her to keep up the appearance that she was happy, or just normal in general. That enormous task was already exhausting, but to be expected to do both? Impossible.

* * *

 It was bonfire time, a relaxing time where they could sit around and roast marshmallows to make s'mores. It was peaceful, the crowds have dispersed from the beach and only a few groups of mammals remained, huddling around their bonfire pits. The night sky was out, with the stars twinkling little hellos to the remaining beachgoers.

However, Judy just couldn't be 100% there. She felt glum and unwilling to do much. She tried to listen to Nick intently, but it was difficult. She just couldn't handle it right now. All she could do was stare at the fire. She noticed how the flames seemed to be in constant state of dance, moving excitedly to its own beat. It does so from the point of conception to the end of its life without a care. She started reflecting on her own life, especially how she used to be like that fire. She used to find the joy out of every situation and treat every obstacle as an opportunity to prove herself. In other words, she used to dance through life without any care of what it'll throw at her. She wasn't like that anymore. She lost her dance. She let life get to her, and lost control to her own darkness.

With Judy being so sulky with her ears drooping down. Nick couldn't just sit by and watch.

He let out a heavy, worried sigh and asked her, "So are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?"

Her ears shot back up and she turned to Nick, "What? What do you mean?"

Nick said, "I know I'm a dumb fox but I'm not that dumb. You've been looking moody and anxious this whole trip and...I'm worried."

Judy was adamant, "Nick, you're just imagining things. I'm fine. You don't have to…worry about me."

"No Judy, I do. I've noticed the crying, the nightmares, the lies, your reclusiveness, and also you've been burning that marshmallow for the past 3 minutes."

"What!?" She quickly pulled out her marshmallow from the fire, it was as black as the night sky.

She groaned, "Ohhh….goddamnit."

She hung her head low and tears formed in her eyes.

She felt a comforting paw on her left shoulder, she looked up to her left and saw a smiling Nick.

"Please Judy, I just want to help."

"I... I don't know if anyone can help me," Judy admitted.

Judy suddenly felt ashamed and looked down at the sand.

"I'm not even sure what's wrong with me to be honest," she continued.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Well...I guess how it all started was this case a while ago. I got too cocky and let this criminal escape. He went on to murder a family of 4 later that night. I...I felt responsible for their deaths. If I had just been more cautious, I could've caught the criminal, and none of this would've happened. But I failed. And they paid the ultimate price."

She paused and bit her lower lip. She started twiddling her thumbs while Nick patiently waited for her to continue.

Eventually she took a deep breath, then said, "I guess the guilt started to poison my mind, I started seeing triggers that would remind me of the family and having nightmares that continually punish me for my failure. I tried to fight back, and I fought back really hard. Yet, it wasn't enough. I let it get to me, and it started to wear me down."

Once again she took another pause, her resolve to tell her story waning away. She kept her eyes on the ground, refusing to look at Nick.

" _Come on Judy, you gotta keep going. You gotta finish this story."_

She took another deep breath and continued, "The guilt, it became something much worse….depression? Who knows. It just started taking over my whole life. There would be so many moments throughout the day where I just...I just feel like I was nothing, like I was an empty shell. And I hated that feeling, and it would completely destroy any shred of happiness I had during that moment. The worst part was, no matter what I tried, it would just stay with me, and all I could do was just wait it out. Obviously it had quite a toll on me. Whenever I hung out with some of the guys at work, I didn't enjoy their company, I just felt really shitty still. Then afterwards, I just felt so guilty for not enjoying my time with them. I hated that feeling, so I became less invested in my relationships. I basically lost all my friends at work and they all probably think I'm just some sad bunny cop fallen from grace now."

She looked at Nick to see his reaction. She expected to see a disapproving look, but no, he had the most reassuring of smiles on his muzzle. It was like he understood what she was going through, and that he was telling her it was okay. Her hesitations disappeared and she felt encouraged to finish.

"What kept me going was my ambition and I continued to work harder than anybody, though not as hard before. And well I got the detective position. I thought after that, I would finally be happy, and everything would be solved again. But no, I just felt nothing afterwards. I felt the same, like nothing has changed. The dream that I worked towards all my life, it felt like it was all for nothing. If achieving a life dream doesn't give me any sort of happiness, what will?"

He placed his paw on her paw, "Judy...I knew you were feeling down but I didn't realize how much pain you were going through. Why didn't you tell me any of this from the very start? I could've helped."

She stood up, facing him and clenching her fists.

With her eyes now full of tears, she shakily said, "How could I? How fucking could I? I haven't seen you for years. I don't know how you would react! We live in a society where...a mammal like me with so many blessings, I shouldn't be allowed to be this sad. I feel ashamed of these feelings. Why would I want to face that kind of judgment?

She felt a shot of anger coursing through her body. Just listening to herself to talk, she felt frustrated. Really frustrated.

_How did I let this happen? How did I become this? How did I suck out the joy of living?_

She turned to Nick and yelled, "I'm so fucking tired of feeling this way all the time. Feeling like nothing will ever get better, like I don't even know why I exist, like it's a struggle to even want to be alive."

Nick did his best to look calm and reassuring in front of her, but even that outburst scared him a bit.

She let out a quiet gasp, surprised that she yelled at Nick. She looked away in shame, and took a deep breath, hoping to placate her own anger.

She said, "I'm broken. I'm broken Nick. There's no fixing me. It's pointless. God, I'm just a waste of space.

She sat back down and stared at the sand. She used the stick that she used to burn her marshmallow to sift through the sand. Part of her wished Nick had said something that would make all the darkness in her heart dissipate into thin air, and she would be back to her old self. At the same time though, she was glad Nick didn't say much. She had to get this all out and he made it easier by staying quiet.

"No."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, what I said was, no!" Nick said. "You don't deserve to be dead because you're fucking Judy Hopps. You're one of the most amazing badass motherfucker mammals I've ever met.

He paused, it looked like he felt reluctant to say the next thing, but like her, he took a deep breath and his resolve returned.

"Trust me... I understand how you feel. I've experienced a lot of the same things you're feeling before and it sucks. It sucks a lot. There were so many times when I would fine when suddenly, just out of nowhere, I would feel so hopeless and empty inside. It started happening more and more often that it became a part of my identity. It was scary, really scary. I wasn't sure if I could ever truly be happy during that time of my life. And that killed me inside.

Judy noticed as he was talking his eyes started to gloss over as he stared at the fire. He seemed to be in a trance as he talked, as if he was recalling painful memories throughout his life. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty for that.

She said, "Yeah...I feel that way too. Thank you Nick."

"For what?"

"For helping me not feel alone in this."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her while she laid her head against his side. They sat there in silence, watching the bonfire.

After a few minutes, she broke the silence and asked, "Do you still feel that way?"

He hesitated for a second, but then smiled, "That's all in the past now."

"How did you move past it?"

He stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

After what seemed like ages, finally Nick said, "It's hard to explain. I guess...I had to believe that I was worth fighting for because it's a war. It's a war against your mind, and you're constantly battling to make sure it doesn't get the upper hand. I didn't think there was a point to fighting back for a long time because…well it just seemed too hard. However, what really helped was having good friends that reminded me that it was worth it….mammals like...Finnick...and well you."

She gasped, "No..."

He nodded. "It was you Judy, you helped me bring me out of that funk 4 years ago."

She looked at him and all she could see was his warm smile and beautiful green eyes. They reminded her of all the good times together before he transferred, and how they were the only light that would shine through all the darkness in her heart before she came here.

"You know Nick...one of the only comforts through this whole experience was remembering my time with you….back when we were still partners.

That's when it finally hit her. All the little moments in the past, all the times she thought about him, this whole trip. She loved him. She needed him. She craved him. No wonder he was the only mammal in her life that could make her happy. It was all true. He is the only way to happiness. Everything else didn't work or was just temporary. He's the only constant that can truly bring her out of this darkness.

_Fuck all the little moments. Time to make a big moment._

Judy grabbed Nick's shirt, pulled him down and met his muzzle with hers.

All this pented up desire she held for so long, never understanding what it was all about until now, she was putting into this one kiss.

Nick made a surprised grunt, his eyes wide open when Judy kissed him. However, he soon sunk into the kiss, placing his paws on her back.

Judy kissed Nick again and again, with each kiss being returned. They fell onto the sand, away from the bonfire pit, rolling on the sand as they took turns being on top and dominate this kissing session.

While it certainly was great, it wasn't enough for Judy. She wanted more of Nick. She needed more of Nick. All of him to be exact. And there was only one way to do that.

Judy broke away from his muzzle and asked, "Wanna take this to the bedroom?"

Nick nodded profusely and lifted her up, running and carrying her towards their house with a chorus of Judy's giggles.

Their bonfire continued to burn during their night of fiery passion, and only started to die down when Nick and Judy were done with their night of fun, succumbing to their need for slumber.


End file.
